Countries of the Islamic World Show Interest in Russia's Military Unmanned Technologies
Countries of the Islamic World Show Interest in Russia's Military Unmanned Technologies
15 May
Co-operation in the field of unmanned aircraft systems between Russia and the countries of the Islamic world was discussed at the 17th International Economic Forum "Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum".
Boris Podolny, Managing Director for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Development at Rostec, noted that academic science is profiled differently across states. In certain technologies, the countries of the Islamic world are more advanced in terms of co-operation, whilst in others the Russian Federation takes the lead. Moreover, Russia today is the country with the greatest experience in the world in the combat use of unmanned systems.
"As far as military scenarios are concerned, our colleagues are interested in virtually everything we do. The brand of "battle-tested in the special military operation" is in high demand around the world," said Podolny.
Russia also has experience in the use of civilian unmanned aerial vehicles in various challenging climatic conditions, reported Alexander Golyashev, Deputy General Director of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation "Federal Centre for Unmanned Aircraft Systems". Russia has a traditionally strong engineering school, which enables it to offer sound solutions for export.
"Interest in specific technologies varies depending on the country – ranging from underwater monitoring of pipelines in Malaysia and Indonesia to our experiments with monitoring scenarios that can be applied across different sectors. The key here is having good software and payload equipment that deliver strong results. There are significant prospects in agriculture; the point is that we have extensive experience, but there are still some debatable aspects regarding our own technologies. We have good experience in forestry, construction, and housing and utilities," Golyashev explained.
Demand for unmanned technologies has already shifted. Everyone now requires somewhat more than orthophoto plans and 3D scanning, stated Evgeny Sivaev, Deputy Director for Development of the Research and Production Complex of Unmanned Aerial and Marine Systems at JSC NPP Radar MMS. Solutions must contain added value in terms of processing data from payloads. What is needed is monitoring and comparison of results, for instance with the previous month, forecasting, or artificial intelligence capable of detecting changes.
"We very much hope for a certain diversification – entry into foreign markets. We are in talks with many colleagues – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, India. We hope that we will manage to build joint projects," said Sivaev.
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The International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum” is being held in Kazan from 12 to 17 May 2026. In accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Forum acquired federal status in 2023, becoming the main platform for interaction between Russia and the Islamic world.
Representatives from 103 countries have registered for KazanForum 2026.
The Forum’s 2026 business programme includes 149 events across 21 tracks. Several international exhibitions will be held as part of the Forum: The International Exhibition of Co-operation between Russia and the Islamic World, the “Innovations. Investment. Infrastructure” Exhibition, the International Real Estate Exhibition and Conference, and the Kazan Halal Market Trade Fair. The agenda also includes: the Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of OIC Countries, the Forum of Young Diplomats, the Forum of Young Entrepreneurs, meetings of intergovernmental commissions and bilateral conferences, festivals, gastronomic and sports projects, including the “Business on Horseback” horse race and the International Jockeys’ Championship.
In 2026, Kazan holds the status of Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. Cultural co‑operation will be one of the key themes of the humanitarian agenda – during the Forum, the Congress of Ministers of Culture of OIC Countries and the 15th Session of the ICESCO General Conference will be held. The programme will conclude with the “Izge Bolgar Zhyeni” gathering in Bolgar, dedicated to the Day of the Official Adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria.
The full programme of the Event is available on the Forum’s official website.
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO “Directorate for Sports and Social Projects” serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
Boris Podolny, Managing Director for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Development at Rostec, noted that academic science is profiled differently across states. In certain technologies, the countries of the Islamic world are more advanced in terms of co-operation, whilst in others the Russian Federation takes the lead. Moreover, Russia today is the country with the greatest experience in the world in the combat use of unmanned systems.
"As far as military scenarios are concerned, our colleagues are interested in virtually everything we do. The brand of "battle-tested in the special military operation" is in high demand around the world," said Podolny.
Russia also has experience in the use of civilian unmanned aerial vehicles in various challenging climatic conditions, reported Alexander Golyashev, Deputy General Director of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation "Federal Centre for Unmanned Aircraft Systems". Russia has a traditionally strong engineering school, which enables it to offer sound solutions for export.
"Interest in specific technologies varies depending on the country – ranging from underwater monitoring of pipelines in Malaysia and Indonesia to our experiments with monitoring scenarios that can be applied across different sectors. The key here is having good software and payload equipment that deliver strong results. There are significant prospects in agriculture; the point is that we have extensive experience, but there are still some debatable aspects regarding our own technologies. We have good experience in forestry, construction, and housing and utilities," Golyashev explained.
Demand for unmanned technologies has already shifted. Everyone now requires somewhat more than orthophoto plans and 3D scanning, stated Evgeny Sivaev, Deputy Director for Development of the Research and Production Complex of Unmanned Aerial and Marine Systems at JSC NPP Radar MMS. Solutions must contain added value in terms of processing data from payloads. What is needed is monitoring and comparison of results, for instance with the previous month, forecasting, or artificial intelligence capable of detecting changes.
"We very much hope for a certain diversification – entry into foreign markets. We are in talks with many colleagues – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, India. We hope that we will manage to build joint projects," said Sivaev.
*****
The International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum” is being held in Kazan from 12 to 17 May 2026. In accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the Forum acquired federal status in 2023, becoming the main platform for interaction between Russia and the Islamic world.
Representatives from 103 countries have registered for KazanForum 2026.
The Forum’s 2026 business programme includes 149 events across 21 tracks. Several international exhibitions will be held as part of the Forum: The International Exhibition of Co-operation between Russia and the Islamic World, the “Innovations. Investment. Infrastructure” Exhibition, the International Real Estate Exhibition and Conference, and the Kazan Halal Market Trade Fair. The agenda also includes: the Forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of OIC Countries, the Forum of Young Diplomats, the Forum of Young Entrepreneurs, meetings of intergovernmental commissions and bilateral conferences, festivals, gastronomic and sports projects, including the “Business on Horseback” horse race and the International Jockeys’ Championship.
In 2026, Kazan holds the status of Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. Cultural co‑operation will be one of the key themes of the humanitarian agenda – during the Forum, the Congress of Ministers of Culture of OIC Countries and the 15th Session of the ICESCO General Conference will be held. The programme will conclude with the “Izge Bolgar Zhyeni” gathering in Bolgar, dedicated to the Day of the Official Adoption of Islam by Volga Bulgaria.
The full programme of the Event is available on the Forum’s official website.
The Roscongress Foundation acts as the Operator for the preparation and holding of the Event, whereas ANO “Directorate for Sports and Social Projects” serves as the Operator’s Executive Directorate.
